Dale A. Merrill, Dean of the College of Performing Arts, was invited to serve as a guest instructor at a summer dance workshop for young dancers in Great Falls, Montana. This program attracted students from all over the state and featured other guest artists Cheryl Johnson of SUNY Brockport and Jay Goodlett, formerly of the
The Department of Dance will present their annual Spring Dance Concert, directed by Jennifer Backhaus, May 9-12 in the Waltmar Theatre. The concert will feature 11 fully-produced works of choreography by dance majors. The choreographers have been exploring a variety of themes during a semester-long rehearsal process. Dances investigating competition, isolation, conspiracy, conformity and self-image
Dance alumna Elke Calvert (’11) won the Division II Grand Prize Award at the Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival with her original choreography, “Framed”, working with pre-professional dancers, at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. The Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival is dedicated to the advancement of dance as an art form,
Current dance major Zak Schlegel (’13) has been hard at work over the winter break. Zak is performing with Backhausdance, the award-winning Orange County modern dance company formed by alumna Jennifer Backhaus (’94). First stop was New York City, where he danced in Backhausdance’s “Incandescent” for the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference.
The Department of Dance is presenting its annual Fall Dance Concert December 7-10, 2011, featuring the work of legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham. The department is privileged to be a part of an exclusive list of schools performing his work as part of the Cunningham Legacy Tour in the wake of his passing in 2009, including The Juilliard
As the demands on dancers’ bodies increase with new choreographic and technical challenges, it becomes increasingly important that dancers are trained correctly and receive medical care with an understanding of what a human body can do. A dancer complaining of back pain has different issues than a businessman or a truck driver because